Quitline supports ‘a small city’ of quitting smokers

9 October 2012

Quitline supports ‘a small city’ of smokers on their quitting journey

In the past year Quitline supported over 62,000 quit smoking attempts by New Zealanders. This is larger than the entire population of Rotorua.

A quarter of Quitline’s clients are smoke free at six months
Quitline’s recent Annual Review 2011/2012 highlights new independent research that shows more than 24% of Quitline’s clients are smoke free at six months, this is up from 20.9% in 2007. This compares to an estimated 4% of smokers who manage quit without support. Smokers who quit using Quitline’s services are five times more likely to successfully quit than those who to quit alone.

Quitline clients are more likely to successfully quit if they use more services
We also know that the more Quitline services a client uses, the higher their rate of success. Clients who used both Quitline’s phone and online service together had a quit rate of over 30%, research also indicated that a total of 95% of clients were satisfied with the service they had received from Quitline.

Smokers can pick and choose the support services that works best for them
‘It’s been an exciting year,’ says Quitline Chief Executive Paula Snowden. ‘Every smoker’s journey to quit is different and Quitline’s support is available via phone, email, blogs, text, booklets. A key focus in the last year has been to integrate our phone and online service so we can provide a seamless package to help smokers beat their addiction’, says Paula Snowden. The use of online support continues to grow in 2011/2012 with 52% of clients signing up for Quitline’s support at www.quit.org.nz and 48% by phone.

Māori and Pacific clients a priority for Quitline
Māori clients made 12,812 quit attempts with Quitline, representing 20.5 % of the total. Pacific clients made 3,296 quit attempts, representing 5.3% of the total. Given the higher rates of smoking amongst Māori and Pacific Peoples, Quitline places a priority on these groups, and has a programme of activities to support Māori and Pacific peoples, including having a team dedicated to engaging directly with Māori and Pacific.

Television advertising messages work with clients
Advertising campaigns are essential to encourage smokers to use Quitline’s services. In April 2012 The New You campaign was launched, which focused on the message that smokers who quit using Quitline’s services are five times more likely to successfully quit than those who to quit alone. In the month following the campaign’s launch, quit attempts rose by 37.1% compared to the same month in 2011, a pleasing indicator of its effectiveness.

We need to keep our ‘foot on the throttle’ to turn the goal of a Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025.

‘I’m happy with what Quitline has achieved in the last year, but we’re far from complacent,’ says Paula. ‘As New Zealand’s high-volume national quit-smoking support service, we’re committed to developing Quitline to increase both its reach and effectiveness. In 2012/2013, we will see increased collaboration with others in the health and smoking cessation sectors, particularly those working with Māori and Pacific communities and whānau. We all have an essential role to play in turning the goal of a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 into a reality.’

About Quitline
The Quit Group (which operates as Quitline) is an incorporated charitable trust which was established in 1999. We are committed to helping all New Zealanders quit smoking, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific peoples and pregnant women. Our free services are funded by the Ministry of Health.

ENDS

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